Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Lemon Thyme Roast Vegetables

It's so difficult for me to decide whether my favorite meat is pork or lamb! Sure, if it was for every day, i would probably pick pork with it's added versatility in small goods but i don't think there is a meat so irresistable to me as the lamb roast! I am always getting into the roast early, trying to wrangle the lank shank from my mother/aunt/grandmother before my dad or cousin does. Something about the roast shank with it's sticky fat and stringy tender meat is just about the best thing in the world to me! And when you get a cut like shoulder and cook it properly, the result is an entire plate full of that succulent fatty meat!

Ingredients (Serves 8)

2kg boned lamb shoulder (forequarter)

1 cup red wine

2 cups chicken stock

1 bunch truss tomatoes

4 medium potatoes

1 half butternut pumpkin

4 red onions

1 large handful lemon thyme

6 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.
Season the lamb well with salt and pepper

With 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat, brown the lamb on both sides.

Transfer to a roasting tray and pour the stock and red wine into the frying pan to deglaze.

Pour the deglazed pan mixture over the lamb.

Transfer to the oven.
After 20 minutes reduce heat to 160 degrees and cook for a further 4 hours, in the last 30 minutes adding the truss tomatoes.

Meanwhile, chop the potatoes and pumpkin into large chunks and quarter the onions

Toss in a large bowl with the lemon thyme,remaining oil, and salt and pepper to taste
Pour into another baking tray.